


Through the Open Door

by Etransitions



Category: Twilight Saga
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-08-30
Updated: 2010-08-30
Packaged: 2017-10-11 08:34:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/110441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Etransitions/pseuds/Etransitions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was just a normal, stressful day. That is, until this Twilight fan walked through a door and ended up in the Twilight-verse. What would you do, if you ended up in Bella's life - if everyone in Forks thought you were Chief Swan's daughter - if nobody, not even the Cullens, knew the difference? How do you live someone else's life when you know what's going to happen?</p><p>Spoilers: Includes content from all 4 books + Midnight Sun<br/>Status: Incomplete</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Through the Open Door

____spacer____

____spacer____

“Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god.” I kept up an endless verbal stream of this as I paced back and forth across my room, glancing every 3 seconds at the small clock on the bedside table. I was dressed, packed and ready to head out the door. But, I’d already planned out what time I was supposed to leave, and I still had another 5 minutes to go. 

A couple more laps across the room and I’d had it – I couldn’t stand this pacing anymore. I was only getting more and more worked up and that just wouldn’t do today. If I had any hope of succeeding, today had to be a day filled with calm determination. Without a backward glance at the room, I grabbed my bag and headed out the door to take the biggest exam of my life – the one that would determine my entire future. 

As I stepped into the exam building I tried to take deep breaths to calm my pounding heart. A girl quickly ran past me and I wondered briefly if she’d make it to the bathroom before she spewed from the nerves. With another deep breath, I pushed my own bile further down my throat. I would be fine. People passed this exam all the time.

_ But more people failed this exam all the time too_ , a cynical little voice whispered in my head. Shaking my head slightly to banish that thought, I tried to stick to positively coaching myself: I was going to pass. Everything would be fine. I just needed to stay calm. 

As I walked towards the door that would lead into the examination room, I kept up a constant mental chant: Don’t freak out. *step* Don’t freak out. *step* Don’t freak out. *step* Don’t freak out. *step* Don’t freak out. *step* 

With a final deep breath I felt all the way down to my toes, I grabbed the door handle and stepped into… a small office.

I glanced around in confusion. I was sure this had been the examination room. I’d observed at least 10 students head in here before me. There were supposed to be hundreds taking this exam with me today, for crying out loud! And yet, here I was standing in what reminded me of a school’s office that was completely empty except for the round woman behind the counter.

I hesitated another second, then began to turn to walk back out when the woman finally spoke. “You’re the new girl, aren’t you?,” she asked with a welcoming smile on her face. 

“I’m sorry?,” I responded. It was a new habit I’d picked up lately – saying ‘I’m sorry’ instead of ‘huh’ when I didn’t hear somebody. My mum said I sounded like a goose when I said ‘huh’. 

“Aren’t you Ms. Swan?” 

I continued to stare at her blankly, so she continued, “The sheriff’s daughter? Isabella? Everyone is just abuzz with the news that you are starting here this week. That’s how I knew who you were right away. Sorry if it was off putting. Small town, you know?” She flashed another smile at me, though her eyes seemed to question my sanity as I continued to stare at her in shock, mouth agap. 

Had she said Isabella Swan? As in Bella Swan? My eyes widened as I took in the large sign above her head. It said “Forks High School” in large black lettering. I pressed my lips tightly together and gulped as I tried to retain my grip on sanity. This sooo wasn’t happening! She continued to look at me waiting for a response. I was taking too long to answer and her smile was starting to slip. 

I decided to go with the safest, most noncommittal response I could think of. “Um *throat clear* sorry. I’m just sort of having a really weird day.” Then I tried my best to offer a sweet smile, but I was so thrown that I couldn’t tell if it mangled on my face or not.

“That’s quite understandable dear. Don’t you worry about it. We’re all really friendly here, so there’s no need for those first day jitters, though. Now, let’s see… Here’s your schedule, your locker number and combination, and -,”  she continued to ramble on placing paper after paper on the counter in front of her. I could feel the blood rushing in my ears as I tried to concentrate on not passing out and walked closer so that I could look at the stack she had now piled up for me. 

She lifted the stack and handed it to me. I took is robotically and then continued to stand there staring at the papers, trying to remember how to read the words on the pages. 

“You have a nice day now,” she said after an awkward minute as I continued to stand before her, unmoving. I glanced up and saw that the look in her eyes, the ‘she looks like she’s loosing her mind’ look, had now spread to encompass her entire face. Guess I couldn’t take offense. She was right afterall.

I turned back towards the door and my heart rate sped up again as I noticed there were flyer-decorated windows on either side of the door. The door I had walked through in the examination building hadn’t had windows on the side of it. Hesitantly, I walked towards the door and then, stealing myself, thrust it open and stepped through with my eyes closed. I heard the door swing closed behind me and then… 

Noise. Lots of noise. The sounds of teens moving through the hallways. I peeked through my eyelashes and my jaw dropped open again. Yup, I was in a high school. And not just any high school. I was in freakin’ Forks High School. There was no doubt about it - the name was splattered on all the flyers and posters that scattered the walls, advertising various school activities. Wide eyed, I watched the students as they scurried past me and was startled to realize they were all staring right back at me as they passed. 

My hand grabbed behind me for the door handle as I continued to stare at this mass of students who all seemed to have their eyes trained on me. It definitely felt like being in high school again. I tried to assure myself that they were only staring because I was the new girl, but that backfired when I realized that, yes, I was supposed to be the new girl. But not just any new girl. I was supposed to be Bella! They thought I was Bella Swan! 

Blackness started closing in on me as I realized that I’d finally cracked. The stress of the exam must have really gotten to me. So much so, that I was hallucinating that I was the main character in my favorite books. I was probably locked in a loony bin somewhere this very minute.

My hand finally found the door handle and I clutched it like a life line, quickly swinging back around and hurling myself back into the office. The lady behind the desk glanced up, startled by my hasty entrance.

“I… I don’t know what… I don’t know where to go,” I managed to stutter out. An understanding grin spread across her face and she walked around the counter to come to my side. “That’s alright, dear. I’ll walk you to your first class.” She put her hand on my shoulder and steered me back out the door. “But, you know, the campus isn’t really that big and that map I gave you shows you where all your classes are,” she proceeded to scold me lightly as we walked down the hall. 

I kept my eyes trained on the ground as we walked, too cowardly to look into any more curious eyes.


	3. Reaching Out

The final bell of the day rang and I followed the herd of other students out to the parking lot. My breath caught as my eyes focused in on Alice and Jasper, already standing by a shiny Volvo. Probably waiting for the rest of the group. _And soon they’ll leave – go home. And then what do I do? I don’t even know where Bella lives. It’s not like the books had a freakin’ map in them!_

My breath started to accelerate as panic set in again. I needed help. I needed to not feel so alone. I needed… Alice! Alice would help, wouldn’t she? 

_ If Jasper doesn’t kill you first_ that small cynical voice echoed in my head. But I quickly shook that off. The desire to reach out to them was stronger than any possible fear that they wouldn’t accept me. Who knew, maybe Alice already knew about me and just wasn’t showing her hand. 

With a deep breath and a silent wish that this would all work out, I took a small step closer to them. My eyes never leaving Alice’s face, I spread my hands in supplication and whispered in a breath so light that no one - no one but a Cullen - could possibly hear, “Alice?”

Her face didn’t turn from its original position. She stayed locked in conversation with Jasper, her body facing his. But I saw her eyes look in my direction. I could hear my heart thud out a stressful rhythm as everyone else in the parking lot seemed to fade from my vision.

“Alice,” I breathed again, “please -” My voice caught then as the panic overwhelmed me. I was terrified of what would happen if she pretended she hadn’t heard. How could I possibly live in a world with the Cullens and not be a part of them? It would be torture to be stuck in this life, watching from the outside, knowing of their family. Knowing the kind of happiness that Bella had found with them… The kind of happiness that I could, perhaps, find with them. I wouldn’t mind living someone else’s life if it meant I got to keep the Cullens. 

I wish that had been my only concern: loosing them. But, that smaller voice in my head from before cautioned that the Cullens hadn’t liked Bella in the beginning. Jasper and Rosalie had wanted her dead and Alice had only chosen to side with Bella _after_ having a vision of them together. What if Alice never had a vision like that about me? Would she side with Jasper then? And what about Edward. He’d hated Bella at first – he’d wanted to kill her himself once he smelled her. I’d avoided him thus far, but he could be here any minute. Was I sure he couldn’t hear my thoughts? Would my blood set him off the same way that Bella’s had? I didn’t know which answer to that question frightened me more.

“Please, I need your help,” I began again. And then my mind went blank with shock and my heart skipped a beat as Alice and Jasper halted their conversation and turned in my direction. “I-,” I whispered, but quickly stopped. I didn’t know what to say that would get them to listen. I didn’t want to scare them into running if they felt I threatened exposure.

“I know you. Please, I need your help.” I repeated my earlier plea. There was a long pause and then, poker face fully intact, Alice began walking slowly towards me. Jasper hesitated for less than a heartbeat and then followed closely behind her. Always the protector, I thought, as admiration and awe for these two swelled in me, despite my fears. 

The feeling brought with it the realization that I should be worried as much about the feelings I was projecting as I was about the words I was saying. As they took the last handful of steps that would bring them within normal human speaking distance, I focused on feeling all the love, adoration, and respect I had for them. They always had been, after all, my favorite characters in the books. I eyed Jasper, trying to read if he felt the feelings of peace I was trying to push towards him.

If he did, he gave no indication. They both paused when they reached me, perhaps waiting for me to speak. And then Alice took the lead by asking in a polite, chipper tone, “You’re the new girl Bella Swan, aren’t you?” 

I paused for an unnatural second as I tried to decide how to answer that. I didn’t want to lie to them. I didn’t want to play a role with them – I wanted to be me. Which was a good thing, I thought ruefully, since I could never be The Bella Swan anyways… even if I desperately wanted to be. 

“Um… not exactly,” I replied. Alice’s eyebrows arched at that. Taking another deep breath, I spoke in a rush, “I know this is going to sound crazy, but I’m not really Bella. Somehow I got… placed, I guess, into her life. But it’s not me. I’m not her. I’m- I’m not even sure what happened but I just – I know you, ok? I can prove it to you! I know all about you guys – past and future. Please – I can prove it. Can we please just go somewhere and talk? I need help and I know you’re the only ones who will understand.” 

I’d spoken all this in one quick breath, staring at my hands, too worried about their reaction to look them in the eyes as I sputtered insanely before them. Finally glancing up at Alice, I uttered one last “please, help me.” Then, I turned towards Jasper and, while concentrating on sending him vibes of honesty and peace and helplessness, looked him straight in the eye and said in a measured tone, “I am not an enemy.” Then, looking towards the ground, I muttered, “Please don’t be scared of me.”

The seconds ticked by as I stared at their feet. At least I knew they were still there. They hadn’t made a run for it. Yet. I had begun to convince myself that they were seconds away from bolting when I heard Alice’s chime voice again.

“Jasper and I were just getting ready to head home. Would you like to come along and visit our house? I think the rest of our family would be greatly interested in meeting you.” 

A very calculated answer. It revealed nothing on their part – whether they thought I was crazy, whether they believed me, whether they planned to kill me once I got there… But, at least they weren’t running away from me.

I met Alice’s eyes then Jasper’s as relief washed over me. They were giving me a chance to explain. That was all I had ever thought to hope for. Tears welled in my eyes and I mentally scolded myself for being so overly emotional about all this. What must Jasper think! But, it had been undoubtedly the weirdest day in existence. I thought I more than deserved the ability to freak out a little.  

Too choked up to trust my voice, I nodded to Alice enthusiastically. She smiled and they both started to turn back towards the Volvo as I followed. I noticed then that the rest of the Cullen siblings had arrived during our conversation and were staring at us from the other side of the car. Edward included. I blushed (in embarrassment or panic I had no idea) and stopped dead in my tracks. “Alice?” I asked timidly, “Should – should I ride with you or – um, I think I have a car here. I could follow you…” My voice trailed off as my head turned, scanning the parking lot. The cars had thinned a bit during our brief whispered conversation, so it didn’t take long for me to notice the only beat up looking red truck left in the parking lot. My goodness, it was massive. I gulped and looked back towards Alice. 

“That’s probably a good idea,” she said slowly. 

Yeah, I bet. A human stuck in a car full of vampires who had no reason to care for her was probably not the best idea. Especially a human they had already guessed knew too much. 

I nodded and turned away towards the truck. It took a long minute for me to find the keys in the backpack that I had carried around all day like a life vest. I could feel the stares of the Cullens on my back as I fished around for them. Or at least, I imagined I could feel their stares. Finally, I climbed - literally climbed - into the truck and put the key in the ignition. The car roared to life as I turned the key, startling me even though I had anticipated the noise. My left hand gripped the steering wheel as my right hand reached behind it for the gear shift and… gripped nothing but air. I glanced at the steering wheel in confusion and then looked next to me to see if the gear shift was lower. 

And then the knowledge I’d already known somewhere deep down clicked, and I was suddenly turning towards my window in a panic to look out at the Volvo that idled, waiting for me to pull out and follow it. “Alice,” I squeaked, “I don’t know how to drive a stick!” There were two windows and 20 feet of space separating us, but I knew she heard me. There was a pause and then the back door to the Volvo opened. But it wasn’t Alice as I’d expected. It was Rosalie. And she looked pissed.

I gulped as she walked towards my side of the car. The door opened and I stayed gapping at her like a fish.

“Well move over,” she said in an exasperated tone. She seemed to be seething with anger. I guessed it was because of having to stoop so low as to help some poor human drive her car. 

Great. Nice first impression, I thought as I quickly scrambled to the other side of the car. She climbed – well, more like ascended – into the car and then we were backing out of the space and following behind the Volvo faster than I would have thought possible in this old truck. 

We sat in silence as she drove. I wanted to talk to her, to try and smooth things over – to maybe get her partially on my side before I had to lay myself at the judgment of the group, but I had no idea how to begin. I had no idea how to talk to someone like Rosalie. And it wasn’t like I had any piece of good news I could tell her about the future, nor any happy memory I could recall to gain her acceptance. ‘I know you were raped’ isn’t exactly the best opener. So, I settled for the easy way to start and said, “Thanks. I know it’s pretty pathetic that I can’t even drive myself.” 

Self deprecation seemed a good way to begin with Rosalie. I probably should have followed by complimenting her in some way, but I hadn’t the slightest idea how to do that without it sounding contrived. She didn’t respond or give any acknowledgement that she’d heard me. Oh well. I tried to focus on planning what I would say to the group. Again, the hardest part was figuring out where to begin and then how much to tell. Did I run through all the books? Tell them everything? Were there some things they shouldn’t know? 

I glanced at Rosalie as a fresh thought occurred. Yes, there could be some things that I shouldn’t disclose right away. For instance, Rosalie wanted to be a human more than anything. Why? Because she had wanted a child. But _I_ knew that Rosalie _could_ have a child, or at least Emmett could, if they wanted to. And Rosalie would want that very much. I wasn’t quite sure how much, but a part of me worried that it might be enough not to seek a willing surrogate. And Emmett would do what Rosalie wanted him to do.

I felt colder at the thought. There were definitely some things I should keep to myself, at least for now. 

The engine cut off abruptly and Rosalie quickly exited the car before I had a chance to register that we had stopped. I glanced around me in surprise. We were here already. The Cullen house loomed a few feet from my door, more impressive than I’d imagined it would be. The rest of the Cullen siblings were already filing through the front door. I noted that they did so at a human pace, Rosalie “rushing” to join them. Still keeping up pretenses, I thought with a sigh. Only Alice waited by the front door, looking expectantly towards me. I took a deep breath and then stepped out of the car. 

I really hoped someone in there ended up liking me because, if not, I was completely screwed.


	4. Meeting the Cullens

I’d expected the Cullens to be beautiful. I’d expected their house to be breathtaking. What I hadn’t expected was the overwhelming longing I’d feel to belong to this family once I was inside their home and surrounded by their presence. 

Alice showed me into their living room, where Esme walked forward to welcome me. “Hello,” she greeted, a warm smile lighting her face. 

“Hi, Esme,” I responded. “It’s wonderful to meet you,” I added with fervor. She continued to smile pleasantly, but I saw her glance at Alice, as if asking Alice if she had told me her name beforehand. 

As she did so, I glanced behind her at the rest of the family in the living room. Emmett and Rosalie were seated on the couch, closest to me. Emmett had his arm wrapped behind Rosalie, who sat ramrod straight, arms folded over her chest, watching me. I guess that was just about as welcoming as I could expect from her. At least she wasn’t being openly hostile towards me. Yet.

Emmett, on the other hand, was relaxed back into the couch and his eyes seemed to roam the room, looking at nothing in particular. Conversely, Jasper stood in what reminded me of a military stance, staring boldly at me. He was positioned past the couch the housed Emmett and Rosalie, his stance and penetrating stare indicating stress. Or maybe I was just _ feeling_ stress from him. Whatever it was, I got the impression that if I made one wrong move – if I seemed a threat to his family in any way - I wouldn’t even have the chance to see him lunge before I died. 

Slightly to the left of Jasper, stood Edward. I tried to control my body’s reaction as best I could, but I couldn’t help it. He was absolutely breathtaking this close. I couldn’t take my eyes off him as I waited for him to have some sort of reaction to my presence. While my body was busy swooning over this godlike creature, my mind remained calculating, waiting for one of the responses I knew had to come. Either I would be like Bella and he would loose control at the smell of my blood _or_ I would just be plain old me and he would hear my thoughts. 

Before anyone could begin asking questions, or worse, try to keep up the charade, I asked, “Is Carlisle around as well, or is he still at the hospital? I’d like to speak with everyone at once, if possible. That way I don’t have to repeat my story…It’s going to be hard enough to spit it out once.” 

Esme seemed a bit startled at my statement, or at least I thought she did. She froze for a few heartbeats. And wasn’t that supposed to be what they did when upset? The pause seemed awkward, as I waited for someone to respond. 

It was Alice who broke the silence. “Carlisle will be here shortly…,” She began and I turned to watch her walk from me over to Jasper. “Why don’t you just give us a brief rundown of what you’d like to discuss, while we wait for him. The suspense is absolutely killing me,” she added with a light giggle.

“Really!?!,” I couldn’t help but respond with bubbly, genuine surprise. Alice raised her eyebrow with a slight smile as my reaction indicated that I’d taken her comment for its true meaning: that she hadn’t foreseen what I was going to say. At her response, I let out a nervous laugh, letting my eyes drop and rocking back on my heels (having leaned towards her during my outburst). I guess it wasn’t such a surprise Alice was in the dark. I really hadn’t devoted much time today preplanning what I would say to them. It seemed more important to come to terms with what was happening to me. At least, that’s what I’d told myself. If I was being honest, I’d avoided thinking about this moment because I dreaded it so. I was terrified of their reactions once I explained myself – terrified of their rejection.

“Er… I’m not really sure how to begin… or even how to summarize what I’m going to say in a manner that won’t sound crazy.” I glanced up quickly at that, looking at Alice and worrying for a moment that I might have offended her with the comment about sounding crazy. But, then I quickly realized that she didn’t know about her past yet. At this moment in the books, she was blissfully happy, thinking that her life began with visions of Jasper and her family. And here I was, about ready to ruin that.

“I guess the only way to start is to just… jump in,” I said, staring at my wringing hands. “I’m horrible at lead-ins so I apologize if this comes off very blunt at first…,” I took a deep breath and held it a few seconds before slowly letting it out, down towards my shoes. _Rip it off, just like a bandaid_, I said to myself.

I looked up, straight into Edward’s eyes. “I know you are vampires - vegetarian vampires, that is. And I know this because, up until this morning, I lived in a world where I was someone else. Someone who read about _ your_ lives in story books. Because of these stories, I know about your past and I know about things that will happen in your future. I know –“ 

And then 4 things happened almost simultaneously. 1) The front door behind me opened as Carlisle arrived home. 2) A breeze blew through the open door, catching my hair and whipping it into my face as it continued past me straight towards the opposite side of the room, where Edward, Alice, and Jasper stood. 3) Edwards eyes widened as he caught my scent. 4) Alice yelled, “Stop him,” as Edward’s body coiled to spring.

I didn’t have time to register what happened next. One minute I was watching Edward’s eyes change from penetrating to maddened and the next there was a crash, the sound of glass breaking, and I was being grasped by Esme as she shielded me behind her body. Peeking around her shoulder, I could see Edward, already being hauled back out of the room by Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper. Alice stood before the struggling group, trying unsuccessfully to catch Edward’s eye and talk him down. A small end table that had been next to the couch now lay overturned. Fragments of broken glass from the lamp that had been on the table lay scattered across the carpet. 

As I watched Edward thrash around, trying to shake off the hands that restrained him and growling as his efforts failed, I had a strong sense of déjà vu. I felt the need to check and make sure I wasn’t bleeding and covered with cake somehow, but my eyes refused to leave Edwards’. Inch by inch, Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper managed to drag him further from the room, but Edward never stopped struggling against them. I could hear them murmuring to him, trying to talk reason into him. Alice’s voice was strict as she ordered him to stop breathing, to calm down, to look at her… but his black eyes never left me.

I was surprised to find myself feeling guilty, as I watched the boys finally manhandle Edward out of my sight. I should have warned them beforehand that Edward might respond this way. It was callous of me to just walk into their house knowing I was throwing the dice as to how he would react to my scent. The shame washed over me as I glanced at Rosalie’s face. Her expression was accusing, reminding me of how she had behaved venomously towards Bella in the beginning… and how Bella’s presence had torn their family apart time and time again. 

And now I was causing the same kinds of problems. Would Edward feel he was forced to leave town now, because of his reaction? Would I run him out of his home just as Bella had? If I ended up staying around the Cullens, would Rosalie leave as well? How long before a papercut sent Jasper after me? 

My eyes drifted back to the floor in shame. It was selfish of me to force myself into their lives like this. I’d assumed that they’d want to know about their future. Somehow, I think I thought I could help them. But it seemed like I would probably end up doing the opposite. Maybe I should have left them alone – just gone to school and pretended to be Bella, sans Cullens. 

I felt a hand cup my cheek and looked up from the pile of broken glass I’d been staring at. It was Esme, looking so concerned for me that it made my heart give a squeeze at the motherliness of her gesture.  “Are you alright, dear? You must be so frightened,” she murmured as her eyes searched mine.

“No – I mean, I’m alright. I’m sorry about Edward.” Her brow creased in confusion then so I continued to explain as Alice walked back into the room. “I knew that might happen when Edward smelled me. I’m sorry. I thought he’d – in the books he always controlled himself. I thought… I mean, I didn’t even know if I _would_ be like her, but I thought that, even if I was, he’d be alright. I guess he didn’t have exposure and collateral damage to worry about here, though.” My rambling finally faded then as I took in the wide eyed stares of the Cullen females. Wow – I definitely must sound crazy. “I’m sorry. I know nothing I’m saying is making much sense. You must think I’m nuts.”

“Pretty much,” Rosalie muttered with an eye roll, finally settling back into the couch. She’d been the only one who hadn’t moved during the whole incident before. I couldn’t say that surprised me though.

With a slight sigh, Emse moved her hand to my shoulder and steered me towards the kitchen. “The boys might be awhile. Why don’t I make us some tea while we wait?,” she asked. Alice followed us into the kitchen while Rosalie stubbornly remained in the living room. “Is there a type of tea you prefer?,” Esme asked me. 

“Something herbal,” Alice responded. I turned to look at her, my mouth half forming a smile and half opened in surprise. She winked at me, “I’m still good for some things.” I couldn’t help but laugh in response. I was relieved that she was at least dropping the pretense about who she was. And, in that moment, she had just seemed so… Alice. I couldn’t help but love her. 

Once the tea was brewed, the three of us sat down at their large dinning room table. Alice sat to my immediate right and quickly began asking me about my shopping preferences. Aside from the fact that, yes, I did like to shop, there wasn’t much I could tell her. She kept asking what I thought about specific designers, but I didn’t recognize any of the names. Esme sat quietly to my left, keeping an empty chair at the head of the table between us. 

Alice was just beginning to get frustrated with my lack of designer expertise when Carlisle, followed by Jasper and Emmett, walked into the room.  We all turned in our chairs to watch them enter and Esme, seeing the troubled look on Carlisle’s face questioned, “Is Edward alright?”

“He’s decided to go visit Tanya and her sisters for awhile,” Carlisle responded with false happiness. I looked back towards my tea as the shame washed over me again.

“Well, that’s nice. He’s been wanting to visit them for some time now,” Esme responded, matching Carlisle’s false tone of happiness. She tried to give a brave smile but I saw it waver. If she’d been able to, I would have bet that her eyes would be swimming with tears at the thought of Edward fleeing their home.

“I’m so sorry Esme,” the emotion filled my apologetic voice. “It’s all my fault. I didn’t mean for him to have to leave.” Unable to look into her sad eyes any longer, I looked back down towards my, now cold, tea. I could feel the guilt choking me as I thought of the pain I’d already caused this family I loved within just an hour of meeting them. 

And then, suddenly, all the shame and guilt was washed away by a warming calm as Jasper took a seat on the other side of Alice. He gave a whisper of a smile as I met his eyes. My response was automatic and stronger than I would have anticipated: a grin lit my face as waves of gratitude, relief, admiration, and affection flooded my heart. Part of me worried that such strong feelings would seem inappropriate after having just “met” him, but I couldn’t help it. I’d been so worried that he would see me as a threat that I hadn’t been prepared to feel his acceptance. It opened up a floodgate to all the emotions of love and respect I had for both him and Alice.

“Don’t worry about Edward,” Emmett said as he sat down at the opposite end of the table. “He’ll be back after his broodfest is over. Or after he remembers that he’s more scared of being around Tanya than you,” he finished with a laugh.

My grin widened at hearing his laugh. Partly at the inside joke I probably wasn’t supposed to get and partly because he was just so Emmettt. 

“Either way,” Carlisle said, clearing his throat tensely, “it seems there are some matters that need to be discussed.” He pulled out the chair between Esme and me and sat down as Rosalie entered the room to stand behind Emmett. Gesturing to me, he said, “The floor is yours.”


	5. Revisiting the Past

I looked around the room, meeting every set of black eyes, before I finally took a deep breath and began. 

“I…I come from a… different world, I suppose you would call it. In my world, there’s a famous book series about a girl named Bella Swan and the Cullen family.” I paused for a moment, waiting for them to interrupt me with claims that I was off my rocker, but no one spoke. So I continued, “In the books, Bella moves to Forks and meets the Cullens. Then… there’s an accident and Edward saves her life. She learns the Cullens’ secrets and ends up later becoming part of their family.” I conveniently left out the falling in love with Edward part. I wasn’t sure why, but I was embarrassed to tell them that part of the story. 

“When I woke up this morning, I was in my world and everything was fine. Ok, not fine, really. I had a huge test I was supposed to take that day and I was really stressed out over it. I was on my way to my test, when I walked through a door and all of a sudden I was at Forks High School and everyone was calling me Bella. I thought maybe the stress had finally gotten to me, but… Then I saw you guys,” I nodded towards Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice, “and I really started to freak out because even though I’d never met you or seen you before, I _know_ you.”

“I know how insane this must sound and I have no explanation for what happened. But I can prove I’m telling the truth. I know things about you all that I couldn’t know otherwise… I mean, besides the obvious.”

“Carlisle,” I turned to look at him. “I know that you were the first turned. You were following in your father’s footsteps, hunting vampires and such. But, unlike him, you actually found a real coven of vampires. One managed to bite you before the mob overtook him and you were able to hide yourself from your followers until the change was over. You knew what you’d become and you refused to feed off humans, starving yourself until instinct lead you to feed off an animal. You found a new way of living then.”

“Eventually, you went to live with the Voltari… But you didn’t agree with their diet, so you left and came here, to America. Edward was the first one you turned. He was dying and his mother begged you to save him… so you did. He didn’t thank you for that, though. Next came Esme,” my eyes shifted over to her as I continued. “Esme had… fallen off a cliff and was injured so badly that they brought her straight to the morgue. You saved her and found a love you’d never expected,” I added with a smile.

“After that was Rosalie,” I cautiously looked at her then. She remained standing behind Emmett, her face expressionless. “…She’d been hurt as well… you saved her, hoping that she would be to Edward what Esme had become to you. But she found Emmett instead,” as my eyes shifted back to the left to look at Emmett, Rosalie spoke up.

“Wait, that’s it? That’s all you know about me?,” she challenged.

“No. No, that’s not all,” I responded carefully. I couldn’t tell if it was going to anger her more if I kept quite about what I knew or if I spilled it out in front of everyone. 

“Well, what else then? So far you haven’t said anything that would convince me you have some… inside knowledge of our family,” she spit our haughtily. 

“Alright…” I glanced at Emmett hoping for a sign as to how to proceed with her, but he gave no help, remaining expressionless. Knowing this was going to backfire on me the second I opened my mouth, I proceeded to tell the rest of her story. “When Carlisle found you, your blood was soaking the snow in an alley. You’d been raped and battered by your fiancé and his friends. They left you there to die, drunk and confident that they’d go unpunished for their crimes. After Carlisle turned you, you had your revenge. You hunted and killed every last one of them without spilling a single drop of blood. You saved your fiancé for last, coming to him in your wedding dress.” 

“You hated Edward from the first time you heard him speak because he didn’t desire you, as every other man you’d ever known had. When you found Emmett, mauled by a bear, you carried him to Carlisle, fearing that you weren’t strong enough to change him yourself. You wanted to save him because he reminded you of the child your friend had when you were human. After he was changed, you both fell passionately in love. But, you’d still trade everything, him and your family, for the ability to have a child.” My last sentence seemed to echo in the silence of the house. I continued to stare directly into Rosalie’s eyes as the seconds ticked by. Her face remained set in the haughty look it had held before I began. And then, suddenly, she was out the door in a blur of motion.

Emmett sighed and slowly heaved himself out of his chair, “I’d better go take care of that.”  And then, he too was gone.

“Oops,” I breathed, looking down at the table, rather than meet anyone’s eyes.

“It’ll be alright,” Carlisle murmured, “Please continue.”

I glanced up at him and he nodded in encouragement. I turned towards Jasper, then, looking to him for permission to tell what I knew of his story. He gave a slight nod in encouragement as well, so I took up my speech again.

“Jasper was part of the Confederate Army in Texas when he was turned by a woman named Maria. Her and her 2 sisters were raising an army of their own. Jasper’s life as a vampire had a very long, violent, beginning. It wasn’t until Peter returned for him and told him of another way to live, that he discovered a life free of constant bloodshed.  He left Maria and traveled with Peter and Charlotte for awhile, but he was still troubled. His gift forced him to feel the emotions of the humans he fed off of and it began to weigh on him in a way it never had before. Eventually he decided to travel on his own.” 

“Then, one day, he stepped into a diner to get out of the rain and Alice was there waiting for him,” I smiled at Jasper and Alice as I recalled the story for them. “Alice walked up to him and said ‘you’ve kept me waiting a long time.’ And Jasper ducked his head like a good southern gentleman and said ‘sorry ma’am.’  Alice held out her hand then and he took it without thinking about what he was doing. For the first time in a long time… he felt hope. Alice showed him how to live off animals and told him about the Cullens. Eventually they both came to find them. When they first arrived, Edward and Emmett were away. When the boys came back home, Edward found that Alice had moved all his things to the garage. He was so pissed,” I chuckled as my voice trailed off into silence. 

Alice was looking at me expectantly, waiting for me to say more about her story. Clearing my throat, I looked away, back towards the center of the table.  She placed her hand on my arm but I didn’t move my gaze from the table. “Please don’t stop there,” she said quietly. “If you know more about me – about my past… I’d like to know.”

“Alice,” I pleaded, finally looking at her again, “I don’t think you want to know -”

“But I do. I _need_ to know. I’m the only one who can’t remember my life.” I began shaking my head as she continued her pleading, but she wasn’t going to back down so easily. “I want to know,” she said forcefully.

“Alice, I really don’t think you do. They never really said how you took the news in the books, but I got the impression that you preferred being able to remember your life beginning with a vision of Jasper.”

“That’s nice, yes, but that isn’t a reason to remain completely in the dark about my past. Not when you could clear up some of the _ millions_ of questions I have,” she looked at me with sad, pleading eyes. It was hard to resist her when she looked at you like that. 

Jasper placed a comforting hand on top of hers, which were now folded tensely on the table. I met his eyes and saw that he was behind Alice 100%. He supported her decision, whatever it may be. And, if she wanted to know what I had to say, he was going to make sure she heard it, one way or another.

“Alice,” I pleaded, “please don’t ask me.”

“Why? Give me one good reason!”

“Because I don’t want to be the one to tell you,” I burst out, getting frustrated now.

“Why!?!,” she asked, a bit outraged.

“Because! It’s not… nice, Alice. It’s… it’s going to hurt you and… and I don’t want to be the one who hurts you,” my voice broke at the end as I tried to convince her to let it drop. 

There was a long silence as we stared into each other’s eyes. In my peripheral vision, I saw Jasper’s expression change from one of determination to thoughtful. He must have been a bit stunned when he realized I was holding back information in an effort to _protect_ Alice.  He seemed to be quietly reevaluating me as Alice and I continued to stare at each other. I hoped my emotions would help communicate to him the reasons behind my reluctance. I’d adored Alice long before today. To be the one to have to see the pain in her eyes as I revealed her past… It made my chest hurt to even think about it.  

Finally, Alice spoke in a calm but firm voice, “I’m a big girl. Whatever you have to say, I can handle.”

“Alice?,” Jasper finally spoke up, concern in his voice. His eyes searched hers as she turned to look at him. 

“I _need_ to know,” she murmured in response. There was a quiet moment of communication between them and then they both turned to look at me in expectation.


	7. Going Home

“Is there a restroom?” I asked quickly, the urgency leaking through my voice.

“Around the corner,” Esme began, but I was already out of my chair and running in the direction she pointed. Even Alice’s lifeless stare wasn’t enough to make me pause. I turned the corner and grabbed the handle of the first door I saw, wrenching it open. Luck was with me and I made it to the bathroom sink just as my body started to heave. I stood, dry heaving and spitting out the bile that continued to come as I remembered the angry emotions I had felt earlier. 

I wasn’t standing there long before I felt cool hands sooth my head, steadying me. My hair was gently pulled up and away. Looking up from the sink, I saw Esme reflected in the mirror as she stood behind me. She handed me a cold wet rag and I wiped my mouth, trying to will my stomach into calming. _Please don’t let me puke in front of Esme_, I thought. 

I felt a soothing wave roll over my body and glanced towards the door. Jasper leaned against the doorway, looking ashamed. “I owe you an apology,” he said quietly. “I do not usually loose control like that. You had warned us that what you said would be upsetting – I should have been more prepared. I am sorry that I did not keep my emotions to myself.”

Still feeling a bit shaky, despite Jaspers efforts to sooth me, I offered a weak smile. I couldn’t help but be amused at how he had sounded like a small child, apologizing for not keeping his hands to himself. “That was a lot of emotion to try and keep bottled up. I understand not being able to hold onto it. Don’t worry about it – as soon as my bones stop quivering I’ll be good as new.”

Jasper and Esme chuckled lightly at that. Felling more in control of my stomach now, I turned away from the sink and we all headed back towards the dinning room. Rounding the corner, I could hear Carlisle murmuring to Alice, “-doesn’t change who you are or what you are to us. You have a family that loves you and cherishes you, as you are. Don’t forget that.”  He stood with an arm wrapped around Alice’s shoulder, hugging her to him. They both looked up as we entered the room. Jasper walked over to Alice’s other side, taking her hand. 

“I wanted to thank you,” Alice began. “I appreciate you telling me – us – about my past, I mean.” I gave a grim smile as I nodded in response. “Do you happen to know where I was from? The town or the state?”

“Oh,” I said in surprise, not realizing I had left that part out. “You’re from Mississippi. You’re southern, just like Jasper.”

She gave a small smile at my side note. Looking up at Carlisle, she murmured, “I’d like to go visit-“

“You can’t leave now!,” I interrupted. “Peter and Charlotte are coming soon and then–“ I hesitated briefly as I considered whether or not to tell them who else was coming for a visit. _In for a penny in for a pound_, I thought wryly. Besides, I was probably going to need their help when it came to the second set of visitors. “Then, James is coming.”

There was dead silence as the group processed this piece of info. Nervously, I continued. “His coven will be passing through… I think in a couple weeks or so.” The room remained completely still as I waited for someone to say something. After a few more beats that seemed to last an eternity, I tried to break the ice that froze the room again. “Actually,” I began, clearing my throat anxiously, “I might need some help when they get here. In the books, James catches Bella’s scent when he passes through and, being a tracker… Not to mention that I just ran Bella’s champion out of town…” I let out a tense laugh. “So, um, do you have a basement or some sort of bomb shelter that I can hide away in for awhile?,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.

Esme looked horror-stricken at my question. “Of course we won’t let some tracker hunt you! What a ridiculous notion. You can stay here with us until they’ve passed through – we’ll keep you safe,” she said matter-of-factly. 

“Esme, I’m sure she has a home of her own and people who are expecting her,” Carlisle said. “Besides, she said this James won’t come through for a few weeks. We have time to think about the best way to deal with all this.”

“Oh yeah,” I responded, feeling a little bummed that I couldn’t stay here. “Bella’s dad would wonder where I ran off to if I just never came home again.” Then, I had a sudden moment of panic, “But I can’t go to her home! I can’t pretend to be Bella! Not to her dad – I mean, it’s her _dad_ \- he’ll think his daughter was body snatched or something.” And then came the horror as my last comment reverberated with me. “Holy crap! That’s what I am – I’m a body snatcher!,” the last part coming out as a squeak. 

In stark contrast to my horror and panic, the vampires before me all seemed to be fighting smiles at my outburst. 

“Relax,” Alice said, “You’ll be fine.”

“But-“

“Fine,” Alice assured me.

“Really?,” I questioned, wondering if she was just trying to comfort me or if she had actually seen that I would be fine. I think some of the worry and pleading must have shown in my eyes because then she sighed and said, “Yes, I’ll come with you to see Charlie.”

I let out a relieved breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “Thanks Alice! It’s not like I could drive myself home anyways,” I added as an afterthought. I glanced outside and was surprised to see it was dusk already. “Ok, should we go now or – oh wait! I still need to tell you what else happens – that is, unless you don’t wanna know?,” 

I looked to Carlisle for a response but it was Alice who spoke. “They know enough for now. Take a tip from an expert: not all futures are meant to be told,” she said cryptically as she started herding me towards the front door. “Lets get out of here before Rosalie comes back.”

“Oh,” I replied and stopped dragging my feet. “Well, I guess we’ll talk later then,” I called to Carlise, Esme and Jasper as they remained standing by the dinning room table. 

“It was nice to meet you dear,” Esme called back with a wave.

“You too,” I responded and then Alice had me out the door.

The drive to Charlie’s house took less time than I’d expected. Or maybe it was just because I hadn’t really been paying attention to where Alice was driving. I didn’t even think to ask her how she knew where Charlie’s house was, as we came to a stop beside his cruiser. Despite her protests that I was being a big baby, I dragged Alice through the front door of the house with me.

“Bella?,” I heard a deep voice call from somewhere in the back of the house.

“Yeah,” I responded with a croak. Clearing my throat I tried again. “Dad, I brought a friend over to – to help me study. We’ll be up in my room,” I yelled and turned towards the stairs.

“Now hang on a second,” he called as he walked into the room. “Don’t go running off so fast. Introduce me to your new friend.” 

“Um, this is Alice. Alice Cullen. Alice, this is - my dad Charlie.” 

“Hello,” Alice responded in her singsong voice, shaking the hand Charlie offered.

“It’s good to see you Alice,” Charlie responded

“Ok,” I said nervously, “we’re going to go study. Um, Alice is going to help me catch up on my new classes.” I didn’t wait for a response before I started dragging Alice up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, I reached for the first doorknob I saw, but stopped when I heard a soft “uh-uh” from Alice. Glancing back at her, I saw her nod towards the second door to the left. I moved to open that door instead and found a very messy, yet girly room behind the door. Alice shut the door behind us as I surveyed the tight quarters. “Well, now that we found the closet, where do you think her room is?,” I joked under my breath, staring at the piles of clutter strewn about.

Alice’s tinkling laugh filled the room. “I was just thinking the exact same thing. Don’t worry, I have enough closet for the both of us. How much room do you really need to sleep anyways.”

I gave her a wide grin at that and then moved to run a finger over the keyboard on the desk. “I wonder how old this thing is,” I murmured and then jumped as I heard a tap on the window right next to me. 

It was Jasper, grinning wolfishly at us from behind the glass. “Jeez!,” I complained, rushing to open the window. It was stuck fast and Alice was soon beside me, opening it the rest of the way with ease. I stepped back to make room for Jasper as he eased himself onto the window sill. He settled there, seeming to have no intention of coming fully into the room. 

Alice, hands on hips, eyed him with amusement. “And what exactly are _you_ doing here,” she questioned him. 

“I didn’t want you to have a sleepover without me,” he baited her with a grin. At her eye roll, he turned to address me, his eyes a strong golden color, having apparently fed on his way over. “Actually, I had some questions still. You rushed out so fast-“

“And what if she doesn’t want to answer your questions?,” Alice interrupted

“She doesn’t have to,” he responded, his golden eyes never leaving mine. “But, I’m still going to ask.” 


	8. Family

“Alright Jasper, what do you wanna know,” I asked as I folded my arms across my chest, already feeling defensive. 

“You like Edward,” he stated bluntly.

“I like all of you,” I fired back, eyes narrowing. Why did he care about Edward?

“When you said he saved you – saved Bella – and that she joined our family after finding out who he was… you left something out,” he said in the same matter-of-fact tone. 

I waited, saying nothing. He continued to stare at me, his eyes questioning. “That wasn’t a question,” I finally responded.

His answering grin seemed to say ‘oh yes it was.’ I glanced at Alice, hoping she’d give some indication of where this line of questioning was going or what my response should be.

“Your call,” she said in response to my look, making me wonder, again, how much she’d already Seen. 

I looked back to Jasper and he was still staring at me with that annoyingly amused grin on his face. Something about this line of questioning, and that look, made me feel like he knew exactly what kind of facts I’d left out… and why.

“Come on,” he said, wriggling his eyebrows, his grin stretching. “You tell me what you know about him and I’ll tell you how he felt when he saw you.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that, “I think his lunge already gave him away.”

“Ah, but there are layers upon layers of emotions that can tie into a lunge,” he joked back at me.

“I can definitely see why you’re described as charming,” I said with a grudging smile. “Fine,” I sighed. “It’s not really that big a deal, I just didn’t feel like telling everyone about it right away. It’s – I don’t know, embarrassing somehow and - and confusing…”

“Well, whatever it is, it has to be fair interesting. I have never seen Edward loose control like that before. Ever,” Jasper repeated flatly. “And before he left, he said something about not being able to hear you. He was not making a lot of sense and he could not get away fast enough, but whatever you did had him running scared.”

“_I_ didn’t do anything,” I said with indignation, not realizing at first that he had baited me. “Well, not really. I knew – in the books, you see, Edward is attracted to Bella because of her scent. She smells better than any other human in the world to him. And on top of that, he can’t read her mind. It’s the perfect combination, actually. It causes him to loose his ambivalence towards humans enough to get to know her, and then once he knows her… they fall in love. They become inseparable and, after some struggles and turmoil, finally marry, Edward turns her, and they live happily ever after.” Feeling a little ashamed of myself again, I continued, “I didn’t _know_ that he would react like that to me. I wondered, but…”

“So, Edward can not read your mind?,” Jasper questioned. I shook my head no. “And he can not control his thirst around you either?”

“Well, not exactly. He _can_ control it. If he wants to. It’s hard… In the books, he first smells Bella at school and he almost kills her and all the surrounding students. The only thing that stops him is exposure and not wanting to disappoint Carlisle with a mass murder.  Once he’s free of her scent, he’s able to think clearly again and he runs off to Denali, rather than risk exposing the family again. Um, maybe it was just the threat of exposure all along though,” I murmured, “because he certainly didn’t try to hold himself back today when he didn’t have to worry about such a thing.”

“So, you are saying that Edward is going to want to feed on you until he falls in love with you and then he will be able to control himself?,” Jasper sounded skeptical.

“Not _me_!,” I said emphatically. “_Bella_! He falls in love with _Bella_! _They_’re soul mates. Like you and Alice.” My voice turned forlorn then as I added, “So that’s the real problem with me being here. He’s supposed to fall in love with Bella and, now, Bella isn’t here.” I eyed Jasper and Alice, trying to see if they got the colossal significance of this. 

No one was gasping in horror or moaning in sorrow, so I assumed they needed further clarification. “Don’t you get it,” I asked in exasperation. “I’ve taken something _away_ from him – away from all of you. He was supposed to find his mate and become this wonderful, loving, caring person he always could have been - instead of remaining the brooding, depressed, and lonely person he is now. And you guys – you were supposed to gain a sister,” I said looking at Alice, “and a _very_ powerful comrade in arms,” I finished looking to Jasper. “And now, you won’t have that. Edward won’t ever get to have his soul mate. I’ve ruined _everything_ for you,” I said, almost in a sob.

Alice and Jasper traded glances. “I think you’re wrong,” Alice finally said to me. “About some of it, anyways.”

“What do you See Alice,” he questioned from his perch on the window, the curiosity on his face mirroring mine.

“I’m not sure,” she responded, her eyes going out of focus. “I See you as one of us,” she murmured and my eyes widened, “but I don’t see Edward there. It’s still a little fuzzy… there are too many variable still left to be decided. But, if everything continues on its current path, you will be one of us someday.”

A grin began to slowly spread across my face. I was going to join them someday! I’d get to be cool, kick-ass vampire Bella eventually. Maybe I wouldn’t feel so guilty about taking Bella’s place when I was strong and able to contribute to the family in some way. When I could protect them, instead of asking them for protection, maybe I would stop feeling like an intruder in their family. 

“Can you see when,” I couldn’t help but ask Alice.

“No,” she responded slowly, both her and Jasper eyeing me as my excitement rose.

“You _want_ to be one of us,” Jasper asked, a hint of disbelief present in his clear voice. 

“More than anything!,” I gushed. “Alice, could I? Could you – would you change me now?”

“Woah,” Alice exclaimed, backing away from me a few steps. Her mouth opened and closed a few times as she tried to think of how to phrase her answer politely. Eventually giving up, she said plainly, “No!” 

I felt disappointment flood my body as she stuttered, trying to come up with an appropriate explanation. “Firstly, I don’t think I could, even if I thought it was prudent. I don’t have that kind of control, despite what you may think. Secondly, it’s been a very hectic day for you and this isn’t a life to be entered into lightly! You really should speak to Carlisle about all this, not me. Ok? He can tell you more about the gravity of your choice. And, I think, if anyone is going to change you, it would end up being Carlisle. He’s the only one with that sort of strength. Talk to Carlisle, alright?”

I nodded, keeping my eyes downcast to hide the hurt I felt at her refusal. I knew she was right – Alice had said much the same to Bella when she had asked, and she’d known and loved Bella! As a stranger, I should have known better than to think she would want to act to keep me so soon. 

At my nod of assent, Alice let out a breath of relief and inched towards the window. “We should get going now,” she said, seeming anxious to get away from me before I tried to press the issue again.

“Will I see you again,” I asked, hating the vulnerable tone of my voice.

“Don’t be silly,” Alice scolded lightly as Jasper slid out the window. “I’ll be here bright and early to pick you up for school tomorrow. You still need a chauffer until you learn how to drive that heap of metal downstairs.” I grinned at her in relief. 

“Get some rest,” Alice ordered as she followed Jasper gracefully out of the window. “You look utterly dead on your feet. There will be plenty of time to discuss these things later.” Seeing the uncertainty in my eyes she added reassuringly, “We aren’t going to disappear on you.” 

“Despite all your fretting about ruining the course of things, some matters remain unaltered,” Jasper added thoughtfully from his perch outside the window. In answer to my confused look he smiled warmly and said, “At the very least, our family _has_ gained a strong ally today.”

“And I _have_ gained a sister,” Alice said firmly. I had just enough time to return her kind smile before they both dropped from sight.


	9. The Denali Clan

Alice stayed true to her word, arriving early in the morning to drive me to school in her flashy car. At her insistence, I sat with the Cullens at lunch as the entire cafeteria stared at me in horror-struck awe. I remained relatively quiet throughout the meal, avoiding eye contact with Rosalie, as Alice chattered on continuously. Rosalie seemed content to pretend I didn’t exist, which suited me just fine until she got over her anger towards me. I wondered if I’d be old and gray before that happened and then shuddered at the thought of growing old here.

After a seemingly endless day of boring classes - biology, unsurprisingly, being no exception with Edward absent - Alice drove me to the Cullen home again, a mischievous grin on her face. Watching her as we turned onto the drive that would lead to the house, I finally asked, “What are you up to?”

“Hm?,” she asked in an innocent tone that didn’t fool me for a second.

“You. You look like you swallowed a canary. What’s going on?”

She laughed at that and said, “Oh nothing,” flapping her hand at me placatingly.

“Right,” I said with an unladylike snort.

“Oh fine, if you really must ruin the surprise. We have visitors. And they want to meet you!”

“Charlotte and Peter?,” I asked, startled. I hadn’t thought they would arrive so soon.

“You’ll see,” Alice responded in a sing-song voice as we pulled into the garage. As we walked inside, Alice all but shoved me towards the living room, where I could hear the abrupt cutoff of a murmured conversation. 

Steeling myself, I rounded the corner and entered the room before Alice had the chance to force me. If I was going to meet a batch of non-vegetarian vamps, I didn’t want their first impression of me to be as a cowering girl-child. Better to greet them head-on – eyes sharp and chin in the air – hopefully conveying the message that, even if the Cullens weren’t around to protect me, I was a snack not worth the trouble I could cause.  

Ok, so there was actually no way I was going to cause these visitors to quake in their boots at the sight of me. But, maybe my cool demeanor could at least convince them I would cause indigestion or something.

All pretense was forgotten, however, when I entered the living room and noticed, not two unknown faces, but five! And not simply a man and a woman as I had expected, but a man and four women, golden eyes all trained on me. For a brief moment, I stared at them dumbfounded, wondering who they were and then recognition fluttered in the back of my mind: the Denalis had come to visit. 

_ Well, that does it_ , I thought, _we are definitely off script now. I don’t even remember the Denalis being MENTIONED in the Twilight book…Oh crap, butterfly effect much?_

I was debating whether to try and address them all by name (I wasn’t sure I remembered the character descriptions well enough to be 100% right) when the strawberry blond spoke up. “So this is your newest fortune teller, Carlisle?” Her tone was full of lighthearted skepticism and sarcasm. I knew I should probably bristle at the challenge in her voice, but instead a slow grin spread across my face as her attitude sparked recognition in me.

“Hi Tanya,” I said as my grin broke into a shy smile. 

“Alice told you,” the girl with a short blond cut accused. As I began to shake my head no, Alice chimed in from my side that she hadn’t spoiled the surprise.

The longer-haired blond in the group looped over to my side with an open smile. “Aw, come on girls. Give her a break. I’m Kate,” she said with a small wave to me. Returning the greeting with a renewed smile, I finally noticed a sixth unexpected visitor. At the very back of the living room, hovering so far away he was practically in the kitchen, stood Edward. Jasper and Emmett stood casually in front of him, having blocked my view of him at first. They looked relaxed and casual, but the way everyone but them continued to shift around me pointed to the obvious: they were there as blockers incase Edward lost control again.

After Kate’s introduction, the rest of the family took turns with their introductions, Carmen giving me a light hug as Eleazar stared at me openly. I tried my best to focus on meeting this new extension of the family, but my eyes continued to invariably shift back towards Edward no matter how hard I tried to ignore his presence.

Always one to get to the point, after all the introductions were finished, I couldn’t help spitting out, “So, I bet you want to know what I know about your futures.”

“I know that’s why I came,” Kate said with a smile.

“Oh please,” Tanya said with an eye roll. “You don’t even know if she’s legit Kate. She probably can’t tell you anything a dime-store fortune teller couldn’t.”

“Actually,” Carlisle said, coming to my defense, “as I mentioned on the phone when I spoke to Kate before you all came down here, she has proven herself to us more than enough. We believe that her story, which I relayed to you, is true and trust her as we do all the other members of our family.”

“If you don’t want to hear what she has to say, you can always leave Tanya,” Alice said, stepping between Tanya and me. 

I expected Tanya to get even more defensive and snotty at this, much like a certain blond Cullen I knew who shall remain nameless. However, she simply shrugged and, uncrossing her arms from her chest, said, “Alright, what’s our destiny, Fortune Cookie?” 

I gave a smile in response, liking the way she’d handled Carlisle’s and Alice’s comments. You gotta love a girl who doesn’t sulk. “Well, Tanya, I don’t actually know too much about _your_ future. All I really know is that you aren’t going to find your soulmate in the next three years, but you _will_ find them eventually. I’m afraid I don’t really have anything to tell Carmen and Eleazar either. Sorry,” I said, looking at them apologetically.

Turning to Irina, I continued. “I _do_, however, have a warning for you.” I paused then, waiting to see if she wanted to hear what I had to say, having been mostly silent so far. She gave a slight nod so I continued. “You may end up meeting a vampire named Laurent. Hot accented and red eyed, he’ll charm you. He’ll say he’s intrigued by your lifestyle and attempt to try it for himself. Not long afterwards, you’ll fall in love with him. Don’t. He’ll betray you and your family. While you might think you’d found your soulmate, he would only see you as an infatuation. Don’t trust him! Don’t let him into your life. All he’ll bring is pain… I’m sorry I don’t have better news.”

Slowly, I turned from Irina to Kate. “You, I have better news for, if you’d like to hear it.”

Bring it on, she gestured.

“_You_ do find your soulmate.” And with that simple sentence, dawn broke across her face. Echoing her broad smile, I continued. “His name is Garrett. He has long sandy-brown hair and he was turned during the revolutionary war. When you first meet him, he’ll be intrigued by your powers.” She nodded, seeming to concentrate on every word I said - committing them to memory no doubt. “When he asks to test out your powers, knock him on his ass,” I said and she laughed. 

“He’s an adventurer and you’ll be the adventure of his lifetime,” I finished, enjoying how happy she looked at my news. She was almost glowing with excitement. 

Finally, unable to contain my curiosity any longer, I turned back to Eleazar and said, “Now I have a question for you.” He hadn’t stopped scrutinizing me since our introductions, so I already thought I knew my answer, but I had to hear what he would say. “Am I a shield,” I asked, spreading my arms out from my body in supplication.

Eleazar blinked in surprise at my question, as Carlisle murmured, “A shield?”

“Oh come now Carlisle,” Eleazar lightly scolded, eyes never leaving mine, “you must remember Renata. And do you remember Gisele? Ah, no, I suppose she was before your time… Anyhow, Aro has always coveted shields. He sent me scouring the earth searching for them. I never did come across any who seem to be as powerful as this child.” When I bristled at his use of the word ‘child’ he gave a nod of apology and corrected himself, “This young woman seems to be blocking me even now… I can’t quite tell the extent of her powers. However, that very fact proves that they must be extraordinary. Do you know much about what you can do,” he asked me.

I gave a shrug. “I’m not _entirely_ sure. I know Edward and Aro can’t hear my thoughts. And other mental powers, like Jane’s, won’t affect me. But, Alice and Jasper’s powers can. I know that, as a vampire, Kate can’t hurt me and I can prevent powers like hers from affecting other people… I’m not really sure if I’m that strong as a human though.” I met Kate’s eyes and saw the eagerness and curiosity I was feeling to test her out, reflected back at me. Grinning mischievously, I took a step towards her saying, “come on Kate, wanna try it out?”

She was already reaching for my hand as numerous resounding “NO!”s echoed through the room. From the corner of my eye, I saw five people move towards us, as if ready to snatch me away from Kate, should she try to touch me. Kate hesitated, her hand poised two inches from mine, as we took in the reaction of those around us. 

Carlisle and Esme I’d expected to protest such a reckless experiment. Carmen was a nice surprise. I was moved that she cared after having just met me. Jasper was a bit shocking as well, but once I thought about it, I was more touched than surprised. The real surprise, the one that made my jaw drop and froze me mid-step though, was Edward. He’d dashed right past Jasper and Emmett (who hadn’t moved an inch, probably just as curious as I was to see what would happen) and stood hovering a few feet from us, hand outstretched. A perfect statue of that slow motion “nooooooooooooo” moment you see in movies. As I continued to stare at him, dumbfounded, he retracted his hand and leaned away from me. The room was still as everyone waited to see how he would react next.

I had just enough time to speculate as to whether he’d continue to act all protective or brush it off, formulating likely explanations he would give, when he abruptly turned on his heels and marched purposefully out of the living room without a word, towards the back of the house. Carlisle’s brow furrowed as we all watched Edward go. Finally I shrugged and turned my attention to Alice. She hadn’t been one of the ones who had shouted or reacted when Kate had reached for me earlier and I was interested to see her reaction now. She looked at me when I turned to her and shrugged as well, nodding encouragingly for me to continue with Kate. 

Grinning, I grabbed Kate’s hand before anyone had a chance to interrupt and felt… nothing. Well, not nothing, but not pain either. Actually, the only difference I noted was a slight tingling in my scalp. My forehead was scrunching in confusion at that when I heard Alice’s tinkling laugh. Whipping my head around to her, I felt my hair shift weirdly. As I reached up with my free hand to pull my hair around so I could get a better look, I heard a guffaw from Jasper, which he tried to cover up with a cough as my eyes flashed to him. And then I realized what had everyone around me trying to hold back their laughter. My hair stood on end like someone had been rubbing a balloon all over it for the last hour. 

Static electricity. My arch nemesis since I was old enough to care about my appearance. 

“Ah man!,” I whined, finally letting go of Kate and trying to smooth down my hair. At my exclamation, most who had been politely trying to withhold their amusement let out a chorus of laughter. “Alice,” I accused, turning towards her.

“Hey, you wanted to know,” she responded with another laugh. My pout only made her laugh harder. “Come on,” she said, taking pity on me and steering me out of the living room, down the back hallway, and through another sitting room of some sort. “Here, just wet it down a little bit, run a comb through, and you’ll be fine,” she said, leaving me at the door to a bathroom stocked with more toiletries and accessories than I could ever imagine the Cullens using.

It took a good ten minutes, but I finally managed to get my hair lying back flat against my head. Grumbling about looking like a troll doll, I left the bathroom and was about to head back the way Alice had brought me, when I heard two hushed voices conversing around the opposite corner. I paused, wondering who it was that had snuck away from the rest of the family to talk.

“She seems legit to me Edward,” I heard Kate murmur in the other room. At his disdainful snort she asked, “Don’t you think so? She seems to honestly want to help you – all of us. And she’s obviously won everyone else over – Rosalie doesn’t count,” she added before he could interject that Rosalie was definitely not enjoying my company. 

“That’s just it,” Edward responded in a growl. “She just showed up out of the blue one day and expected to be part of the family.”

“It’s not much different from how Alice joined you,” Kate argued.

“She is nothing like Alice,” Edward responded coldly.

“Well, I like her,” Kate said matter-of-factly.

I was surprised to hear Rosalie’s voice then, not having realized she was even in the house. “She’s only being nice to you, telling you what you want to hear, to make herself seem useful so that we’ll help and protect her.” There was a pause and then she added, “She’s nothing more than a parasite.” Then Rosalie came around the corner, head held high, mouth tight and eyes focused straight ahead, already giving me a wide berth as if she’d known all along that I was standing there. 

The rational part of my brain that was used to fighting against such paranoid thoughts began assuring me that wasn’t the case, but then stopped – here, the odds were in favor of everyone in this house knowing my exact location, be it from sight, smell, or sound. Here, my paranoia was downright rational.

This thought was confirmed as Kate rounded the corner herself, leaving Edward behind, eyes already trained on my face. “Don’t worry,” she murmured, giving me a light hug around the shoulders, “they’ll come around… And if they don’t,” she added with a wicked grin, holding her far palm up and letting the electricity grow in waves, “then I’ll _make_ them.” 

The breath I’d been holding since hearing Edward’s voice escaped in a chuckle and she gave my shoulder another squeeze. With that, she steered me back to the living room, where I was quickly surrounded by smiling faces, regaled with humorous tales of Tanya’s latest conquests, and embraced by the members of my new family. Edward was nowhere in sight.


End file.
